LEGO has become synonymous with adaptations of popular culture properties like Star Wars, as the brand has partnered with just about everything imaginable — including an upcoming Super Mario set with eight expansions. However, working without guidelines can also yield near-limitless possibilities when using the building block toys, as one fan of the Pokemon franchise proves with a growing collection of impressive LEGO statues based on popular monsters.
Dave Holder, a Master Model Builder with the Melbourne LEGOLAND Discovery Centre who goes by Ddave_ on Reddit, posted an image of his collection to the r/pokemon subreddit today, including life-sized versions of Charmander, Pikachu, Eevee, Geodude, Ditto, and Togepi made with an impressive level of detail. The creator actually showed off a few of these Pokemon LEGO sculptures alongside some Pokeballs at a LEGO convention in January, but since then has added the Charmander and Togepi to their ranks.
In the comments of the Reddit post, Holder talks about how the sets are custom-designed and completely hollow, which means they do break but are easily fixed. Each one costs about 400 Australian dollars, with Eevee being on the more expensive end because it is made from a rarer color. The next Pokemon Holder is looking to create will be Squirtle, with Bulbasaur coming soon after to finish the Kanto starters, but fans in the comments have thrown out suggestions ranging from the tiny Joltik to the extremely large Wailord.
For those who are interested in learning more about these LEGO sculptures, Holder runs an Instagram account featuring galleries and work-in-progress updates. On that social media, there are other in-progress Pokemon like Cubone and more creations befitting a Master Model Builder. While they are not official sets, other video game properties like The Legend of Zelda and Untitled Goose Game have recently been in consideration.
These impressively detailed Pokemon sculptures are one good example of how much potential LEGOs have, but there are countless more examples online. For instance, leading up to the release of Naughty Dog's latest title, a YouTuber recreated The Last of Us 2's trailer with LEGOs.
The official LEGO video game market is also full of content for fans who enjoy the building block hobby. While LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is the next big title for the adaptation franchise, recently Traveller's Tales' Jon Burton revealed the studio spent $1 million on a Lord of the Rings pitch in the late 2000s that was never greenlit.
Source: Instagram, LEGOLAND Discovery Centre